Agricultural Advance by Yandi Shennongshi - and Hunam
Ancient Rice Culture__ "Abstract: While there are different
views of the Yandi Shennongshi legendary entity in ancient books and
literature, we may still be able to systematically verify and discuss
ties between his agricultural policy and Hunan ancient rice culture,
based on extant archaeological data." -
http://www.carleton.ca/~bgordon/Rice/papers/KuangDR2000.htm

Ancient Egypt: Farming __ "Most Egyptian
people were farmers. Their main crops were the staples of life - emmer
wheat and barley for making bread and beer, and flax for making linen
cloth." A brief article about Egyptian farming. Links to related
material. - illustrated - From University of Chicago -
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/EGYPT/farming.html

Ancient Egyptian Farming __ "Hope you were able to afford a
few animals such as some goats, pigs, ducks, cows, and geese. Animals
were one of the most important things about farming. Animals helped you
with jobs like trampling in the seeds, pulling your plow, eating
unwanted grain or wheat and providing you with food and drink." A brief
but good overview of ancient Egyptian farming techniques. - From
Dragonstrike.com -
http://www.dragonstrike.com/egypt/farm.htm

Ancient Farming Rituals of Sri Lanka __Rice cultivation in
ancient Sri Lanka was treated with the greatest respect. Since the
people were unaware of natural causes for crop failure or success, they
used ritual to appease an unseen god or demon. Learn how these actions
lead to effective farm practices. - FromRohan Jayetilleke/Sunday
Observer -
http://www.lankalibrary.com/rit/farming.htm

Ancient Kernel: Clue to Origins of Farming? __
"The earliest sign of agriculture in North America -- a tiny kernel of
corn -- has been found in an Arizona cave by archaeologists at Berkeley
and the University of New Mexico." A brief article. - From University of
California, Berkeley -
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1999/0224/kernel.html

Ancient Mesopotamian Farming __ "The climate of
Mesopotamia was generally dry and there was very little rainfall so all
these factors contributed to unsuccessful farming in this region. So to
overcome this problem of farming Mesopotamians became depended on the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers." Perhaps a good introduction to the
younger student. - From ancientmesopotamians.com -
http://www.ancientmesopotamians.com/ancient-mesopotamian-farming.html

Ancient System Helps Peruvian Farmers Handle Drought,
Floods, Frost __ "Known as "waru waru," in the local Quechua
language, the technique has proven an inexpensive way to improve crop
yields and ease the punishing effects of farming at 12,500 feet above
sea level on the Andean plains." A system which faded a thousand years
ago is back producing crops. - illustrated - From USA Today -
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2003-08-05-peru-farming_x.htm

Egypt: Ancient Egypt Farming __ "As early as
the fifth millennium BC, the ancient Egyptians realized the extraordinary
fruitfulness of their fields and the secret behind it - the deposits of
black silt borne down by the river in flood time. Hence they called the
soil of the Nile valley 'black earth' (kemet), as distinct from the 'red
earth' (deshret) of the desert." Read a good synopsis of ancient
Egyptian farming methods. - illustrated - From InterCity Oz, Inc. -
http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/lifeinEgypt11.htm

Farming
in Ancient Greece __ "Farming in Ancient Greece
was difficult due to the limited amount of good soil and cropland. It is
estimated that only twenty percent of the land was usable for growing
crops." An overview of farming in ancient Greece. - illustrated -
From historylink102.com -
http://www.historylink102.com/greece3/jobs-farming.htm

Heathrow Dig Reveals Ancient Farming __
"Shedding new light on the development of farming, the archaeologists
found that field boundaries laid down as early as 2,000 B.C. continued
to be shown on maps in the 20th century." A brief news story about
British archaeology and excavation at Heathrow International Airport. -
illustrated - From The discovery Channel -
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20030804/heathrow.html

History of Horticulture __ "Mankind has been practicing
horticulture for at least 11,000 years. We know from archaeological
evidence that rice was grown in
ancient China in about 9,500 B.C. Wheat and
barley were grown by people in the area of present-day Iraq in about
8,000 B.C. Around the same time, millet was grown in Africa. Man
probably began experimenting with the cultivation of wild plants well
before then." - illustrated - From Artzia -
http://artzia.com/Home/Garden/History/

Hohokam Farming Systems __ The subtitle of
this is "How to survive 1,000 years in the desert." "The Hohokam did it
from at least 500 to 1450 A.D. by being farmers and environmentalists at
the same time. As farmers, they adapted their subsistence strategies to
specific environmental conditions. As environmentalists, they used
resources conservatively and minimized their impact on the ecosystem on
which they depended." You will find a brief but interesting paper. -
From International Ag-Sieve -
http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/agsieve/txt/vol5/3/art1.html

Maya Agriculture __ "Maya agriculture was the
foundation of civilization. Populations in densely forested regions,
such as El Petén, "The cradle of the Maya civilization", in Guatemala,
often rely on slash-and-burn agriculture..." A general overview of
Maya agriculture ancient and modern - illustrated - From
authenticmaya.com -
http://www.authenticmaya.com/maya_agriculture.htm

Roman agriculture __ "Roman agriculture was
highly regarded in Roman culture. Of the many commentators who praised
simple rural life and endowed it with the aura of ancient Roman virtues,
Virgil in his Georgics stands pre-eminent. Cicero considered farming the
best of all Roman occupations, he writes in On Duties “But of all the
occupations by which gain is secured, none is better than agriculture,
none more profitable, none more delightful, none more becoming to a
freeman…" An encyclopedic overview of Roman farms and farming. - From
wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_agriculture

Roman Farming __ "Romans used mostly slaves to
work in the fields. Slaves were widely available, and they provided
cheap labor to work their fields. The fields were plowed with an ard-type
plow, which is basically a heavy stick pulled by an ox. Later the
ancient Romans
did add a coulter to the plow, which would help break up the soil before
the plowshare would turn the soil over." A good overview of Roman
farming. - From historylink102.com -
http://historylink102.com/Rome/roman-farming.htm

A Taste of the Ancient World: Farming at Karanis
__ "This photograph, taken during the excavations at Karanis,
demonstrates that farmers in early 20th century Egypt used methods of
grain processing similar to those employed in antiquity." Many
photos and comparisons of modern and ancient farming techniques. -
illustrated - From umich.edu -
http://www.umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/Food/text/farm.html